Sunday, July 24, 2011

I spent my entire day yesterday in Borders looking for closing deals. I will go back again because I just found a couple $5 coupons in my closet drawers that are going to expire on 11/31/2011. I don't think there will be anymore Borders store by then so I better use them now. As Borders' premium club member, I can't express in words how sad I feel about the closing of this bookstore chain. Every time I visited Borders, I ended up spending more than 2 hours there. I was never just browsing. Most of the books in my bookshelf are bought from this store. Yesterday when I was walking past the vacated cafe in Borders, I was flooded with memories of my first dates, my bookclub discussions, my knitting workshops with my friends, etc, that took place in various Borders locations. Because of Borders, I had discovered and fallen in love with books and magazines I never knew existed, that I would never have sought them out if I never went to Borders.

I remember when I first came to America, the only place I knew how to get there independently was Borders. It's not just a bookstore to me, it's a place which introduced me to the American way of life and a place in a foreign country where I felt comfortable, where I felt I belonged. It's a place where I met some of my American friends. Borders helped me relieve my homesickness because the books and the environment there just distracted me. It offered me a place to hang out when I had nobody and knew nowhere to go to. Whenever I felt bored, I unconsciously drove to Borders. I tried the public libraries but it just never felt the same, the library shelves are always musky and eerie compared to Borders's book aisles. The vibe in the library made me feel even more depressed and lonely when I was alone. Borders made me feel upbeat and cheerful even when I was alone.

It's just sad beyond words that this bookstore chain is going to disappear completely. This is another example where bad management can destroy a good company and flush shareholder value down into the toilet. I don't think the business model of a brick and mortar bookstore is the problem, I think it's the fault of their management's inability to control cost and capitalize on Borders' inherent value to consumers. I still believe no website or e-reader (and I have 3, my ipad, iphone, netbook pc) can really replace the physical presence of a bookstore. I think brick and mortar bookstore can still be run as a profitable business. It just takes a capable management to do so. May be I am just a delusional bookstore fanatic who is in denial with the ever expanding world wide web that is going to bind my life closer and closer to an LED screen.

So, how do you feel about a world without bookstores? Email us your exclusive opinion, fill-in your email address in the following signup form and receive a 10% discount coupon from Old Navy when we publish your opinion on this blog. (good for use until 12/31/11 and is perfect for your winter shopping.)

Sunday, July 10, 2011

When I was a kid, whenever my mom needed to work in the kitchen for our dinners, she put on Karaoke to keep me busy. The following sing-along is the Chinese people's rendition of Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do Without You". It was one of my favorite Karaoke songs from my childhood. Today, to end our bookclub meeting this month, I put this on our TV and we sang this together to conclude our meeting... This is a good way to learn to speak Cantonese, just watch the screen and mimmic the sound, it's fun:) Translation of the lyric is underneath the video.

I believe the world will become more beautiful，I believe all wars will end one day.I believe there is justice from sea to sea, I believe all these timeless philosophies of love.

It's like me strongly believing that love is the best, it's like you truly believing in me.Do you know that I believe in you also? Yeah, I'll always believe in you, yeah.

I believe one day I will see, everybody in the world holding hands and dancing together.I believe there will be love from sea to sea, I believe tomorrow will be better.It's like me strongly believing that there is nothing comparable to love, it's like believing that no one can isolate freedom. Woo Woo.

Do Do Do Do Do Do Do，It's like me believing in myself，strongly believing in you.It's like me believing in myself, strongly believing in the truth of love.The truth of love，is just like you, dancing excitingly around me.The truth of love.

I believe the world will become more beautiful，I believe all wars will end one day.I believe there is justice from sea to sea, I believe all these timeless philosophies of love.

It's like me strongly believing that love is the best, it's like you truly believing in me.Do you know that I believe in you also? Yeah, I'll always believe in you, yeah.

I believe in Peace, I believe in Kindness,I believe in Peace, I believe in Kindness,

It's like me believing in myself，strongly believing in the one I like.It's like me believing in myself, completely believing in the truth of love.Say Go Sally Go Sally GoSay AlSay Al

It's like me believing in myself，strongly believing in the one I like.It's like me believing in myself, completely believing in the truth of love.It's like me believing in myself，strongly believing in you.It's like me believing in myself, strongly believing in the truth of love

I believe in Peace, I believe in Kindness,I believe in Peace, I believe in Kindness,

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Don't let the cover of this book fool you. This is one lousy book that piggy-backed on our beloved "Pride and Prejudice". The characters in this book are totally unlikable. They all spoke in a strange way, as if they were some lower class people in England pretending to be wealthy upper class. Mary Bennet didn't have a big role in "Pride and Prejudice" but she didn't have a major part in this book either. This book talked mostly about everything else but Mary's independence because she was locked up during most of the book. This book is very hard for me to read because it has a very bad plot that seems to be too wacky for that period of England. This book is literally an insult to Jane Austen. Have you recently been scammed by a book's appealing cover and ended up getting a bad book with a bad story? If so, please email to tell us what book it is, and get a chance to win a free spicy chicken sandwich from Jack in the Box. You have to be our blog's follower to participate in this giveaway. We will announce the winner on July 31, 2011 on this blog.